


Basketball Season

by auroramcchicken



Series: Basketball Season [6]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Arguing, Bad Puns, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Nightmares, School Festivals, Secret Relationship, Slurs, Vacation, chapter 5 makes sense if you know Samurai Flamenco, where are they now? the distant finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 08:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 12,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5328197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auroramcchicken/pseuds/auroramcchicken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There will be 25 individual little chapters based on the end cards from the third season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anything for Love

"Did I hear that correctly? You actually said you were okay with Nigou being around once in a while?"

"I guess, as long as he doesn't try and lick me or anything. Probably better keep the barking down, too. Or maybe just bring a picture of him, I've started looking at pictures of dogs recently, and I've been doing okay so far."

"Seriously? Are you really that much of a wimp? Maybe I should've gotten a cat instead. You are a tiger, after all." And then, the clincher: "Aomine isn't afraid of Nigou. I've caught him scratching him behind the ears before."

Is he really bringing Aomine into this? Well, in that case… "You know what? Bring him over to my place this weekend! I'm not afraid of any dog!"

"Are you sure? He'd probably like playing with Izuki's dog; I'm sure that can be arranged for them."

"Yeah, I'm sure! Bring on the dog!"

* * *

Five minutes after the Tetsuyas had arrived at my apartment, I was beginning to regret my decision. Nigou had climbed onto my lap and had refused to get off. Kuroko had been laughing his ass off, clearly enjoying my suffering. I flinched when he started barking, but Kuroko immediately understood.

"You want to go for a walk, Nigou? See if daddy will take you." Kuroko calling me daddy? That's kind of hot in a way, but I can't let it affect me.

"Daddy? Who's daddy?"

"You are, daddy." Wait, he's using daddy in the normal way- he thinks I'm the dog's father? No way in hell!

"I'm not his daddy! Why don't you take him?"

Kuroko immediately covered Nigou's ears with his hands. "Don't say that; you'll confuse him. It's okay, Nigou, he didn't mean that."

"Yes, I did! And besides, you walked over here, didn't you? How was that not enough of a walk?"

"He likes the park over here. Come on, Nigou, it's play time." Why does the dog need to bark so much? "We could probably get drinks, too. There's a café over there with good vanilla lattes."

I know I'm pushing my luck with this question, but I have to ask. "So if I'm daddy, does that make you mommy?"

"No way. I'm Big Poppa."

The way he said it, with his usual deadpan, I couldn't help but laugh.


	2. Best Thing I Never Had

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise has a nightmare. Haizaki is featured heavily.

"We don't need you to come in for the photoshoot next week."

"This guy tested better with the target demographic."

"We're moving in a different direction."

And just like that, I had those two dreaded words forever attached to my résumé: former model. It wasn't until later that I had realized just who had taken my place.

Shogo Haizaki's face was on the ad space at the bus station, a place which, until recently, had shown my own face. Four or five cartoon penises had been drawn around his face, one of them shooting jizz into his mouth. Nijimura must have drawn them. Even if I had never enjoyed being a model in the first place, it still sucked to see my cheap replacement trying to pass himself off as a third rate version of me.

I called all my friends to see if they wanted to go anywhere with me.

I don't know what I was expecting. All of them were too busy with other stuff, even Aomine.

I wasn't really bothered by anyone else being busy, but I wanted to know why he was too busy for me, at least. As he stammered some crap about being busy with homework, I heard Haizaki's voice in the background, laughing at the obvious lies he told. He said the name "Daiki," so I knew I wasn't just being paranoid. I don't remember what I shouted at him, but I'm sure it was very stilted and not at all witty or clever.

I call my Kaijo teammates, too. None of them pick up. Even Kasamatsu picks up normally, only to yell at me and tell me never to call again, but I'm willing to count that.

Eventually, I find myself in the seedier part of town, wearing a fur-trimmed coat and blond cornrows. For some reason, I haven't shaved my head out of pure shame yet. I'm taking sips from a bottle that someone had just drunk from, and I'm chatting up a girl. Naturally, I'm doing better at it than Haizaki ever could. Not bad for a fag, as he would revoltingly say.

Luckily, just as I'm about to take another sip, my alarm on my phone starts going off.

Imagining Haizaki trying to take my place is terrifying. Is that dream trying to make me sympathize with him? Is that my brain trying to tell me that I subconsciously feel bad about taking Haizaki's place on the team?

On my way to school, I go by the bus station where Haizaki's ad was in my dream. My face was still there, and it only had one dick drawn on it. Just for a laugh, I wanted to write "Kise Ryota eats dicks" on it, but there were people around, so I didn't.

I texted Aomine, too.

**You still love me, right?**

The response he sent me later was good enough for me.

**Yeah. One on one later?**


	3. California English

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise and Kasamatsu discuss celebrity... as it relates to Kise.

Yukio Kasamatsu was about to leave the locker room for the night when he realized there was one person still in it.

"What are you still doing here, Kise? You were so excited to play that one on one against Aomine, weren't you? So why are you still here?"

"Who even cares anymore? Every girl I've ever dated ends up dating Haizaki, too, so why should Aominecchi be any different?"

_What kind of stupid reason is that to be upset? Unless… I can't believe I'm about to pretend to care about Kise's problems…_ "Has he ever shown any interest in that guy?"

"I'd heard that Aominecchi knew about why Haizaki vanished after our game, but when I tried asking him, he just called him a piece of shit and said he had no time for scum like that. And then we made out."

"See? He's clearly not interested. Also, I don't know why I keep having to tell you that I'm not interested in hearing about you and that guy making out all the time. There is such a thing as oversharing; you know that, right?"

"No way! Me and Aominecchi have to be the next Kimye! We decided!"

"Well, he certainly has the ego. And you have the vanity. I'm sure the constant selfies and tweeting will catch up to theirs at some point. So, between that and the oversharing, I'd say you're already halfway there."

"Really? Thank you so much! He'll be so happy!" Kasamatsu highly doubted that Aomine even knew what Kimye was, therefore being compared to them would be meaningless in his eyes. He only knew what it was himself because Kise kept talking about it. No matter how stupid he thought the whole thing was, it clearly meant a lot to Kise, so he figured he might as well support it.

"He needs to do something to get himself famous first, though. You'd have to wait until he goes pro, if he even ends up doing that. Or he could be a rapper, but I bet he'd be awful at it."

Kise laughed at that, being all too familiar with his boyfriend's ego. "I'm sure all the albums would be named Daiki. The songs are all about how hot he thinks he is. I'm sure there'd be a song about Mai Horikita, and I'm sure there's the 'Kise's ass' album. He always talks about how much he loves it when we-"

"You're oversharing again, Kise. Anyway, from what I can tell, you are far better than Haizaki in every conceivable way. I'm sure it's Haizaki's fault that there's a bald guy on his team. I can just imagine a chunk of his hair falling out every time Haizaki does anything." They laughed, but Kasamatsu said one more thing.

"I'm serious. You've done well this year, Kise."

"Thank you, Kasamatsucch-"

"Never say that again."


	4. Disaster Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew Aomine and Kagami could ever stop fighting?

Out of all the people that Taiga Kagami never expected to knock on the door to his apartment, one person stood above the rest.

Unfortunately for Kagami, that person was currently barking orders in his kitchen.

"Come on, Bakagami, why don't you have any decent food in your kitchen? I thought Tetsu said you were a great cook. Make me some croquettes."

"If you're just going to complain, then you should leave. I don't remember telling you where I live, so what are you doing here?"

"I asked Tetsu."

"And he told you? Why would he do that?"

"I gave him a vanilla shake."

"I see. I never actually forbid him from telling any of you Teiko guys where I live, so that's on me, but at the same time, he should know that already. He should really know that I especially don't want you here. Not Akashi, either, he'd probably be like 'your bedroom is the size of my closet, peasant.'"

"I thought you were rich, though."

"I guess. My parent's house in LA is huge. I mean, it's nothing compared to celebrity mansions, of course, but I was one of the richer kids at my school. Akashi's definitely a lot richer than I am."

"Do you ever wonder if that's why people act nice to you?"

"Not since I got back to Japan. I'm not into the rich douchebag thing, I probably get treated the worst at practices, and besides, I know Kuroko doesn't care about it. Sure, I could buy him a bunch of expensive shit, but I know he would never accept any of it. Does Kise ever buy you anything expensive?"

"He got me a pair of designer shoes for my birthday."

"That's your birthday, though. Kuroko doesn't like that stuff, anyway. Why the hell are we talking about this? And more importantly, why the fuck are you still here?"

"We're really doing this now? We had a good conversation going there! More importantly, the food's almost done, isn't it? I was going to tell Tetsu that we'd formed a truce so he'd stop ragging me about it."

"That's what this is about?"

"Well, this helps you, too. Maybe you'll finally get laid."

"I don't need your help with that."


	5. Evil Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayama and Miyaji have waifus?

Kotaro Hayama had been walking down the hallway at the stadium when something very unexpected had happened.

A pineapple had zoomed past him, landing just a few feet in front of him. Like most people, Hayama didn't have a plan for what to do when a piece of fruit landed in front of him, so he decided to pick it up. He'd always liked pineapple, so he'd just have to figure out how to cut it up.

It wasn't until later, when that blond guy from Shutoku ran up to him and started yelling at him, that he thought he might regret that decision.

"Hey! That's my pineapple! Give it back!"

"I don't see your name on it."

"No, but it does have the price sticker from Kimura's Produce on it, still. I'm borrowing it, you see, so I really do need it back."

"You're borrowing a pineapple? Just to throw it around?"

"Yeah, my friend's family owns that shop. It's an unconventional weapon, but it's effective. Durians work well, too."

"Is that because of the spikes, or because everyone gags when it gets close to them?"

"Both of those features have advantages."

"Say, do you play any online games?"

"Yeah, a couple. There's a girl in one of my guilds, and she's really cute. Why do you ask?"

_Because you sound like a huge dork, talking about the features of your weapons._ "Just a hunch I had."

"I like idols more, though. Miyu-Miyu is the perfect woman, no exceptions."

"I don't even know who that is."

"That is blasphemy! So you've never heard 'Sugar Star Love Crush'?"

"Um, no? Mineral Miracle Muse is where it's at!"

Miyaji scoffed at this. "Really? You like _them_? I hear that Mari chick is a total psycho!"

"Moe is my favorite. She's perfect in every way. I wouldn't turn Mizuki down, either, but I'd pick Moe over her every time."

"Screw that! Miyu-Miyu is perfect!"

"Your waifu is shit tier."


	6. Favorite Record

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midorima and Takao discuss the phenomenon of self-portraits.

Kazunari Takao was out with his boyfriend, Shintaro Midorima, when he had an idea.

"We should take a selfie, Shin-chan!" Other people around them were taking pictures, so it wasn't like they'd be the only ones. They were probably tourists (some of them didn't even look Japanese) but Takao thought they had the right idea. This may be their everyday, but why not celebrate it? It fit perfectly with his motto, after all.

"How idiotic. Why should I do something like that?"

"It's not stupid, it's fun! You need to learn how to enjoy yourself more, Shin-chan! I thought that was why you were with me?"

"It is stupid. Selfies are only good for showing other people how self-absorbed you are, and I have no desire to be a part of that. What are we even doing in this tourist trap, anyway? I thought you said we were going somewhere fun."

"We are. They say that it's a good idea to experience your city like you're a tourist. We can save the more exotic locales for after we get married."

Midorima instantly reddened at this. "W-Who said we were ever getting married, idiot? Like I'd ever want to marry you!"

"That's not what you said when we started dating. You said you had a dream where we were married, and it made you happy. Anyway, we don't need to think about this kind of stuff right now. There'll be time after medical school."

"If it doesn't actually kill you to act serious once in a while, why don't you ever do it?"

"Who wants to be serious all the time? That's so boring. Having fun is better."

"This is fun to you? Pretending that people care about what Kazunari Takao did on his weekend?"

"You know, you could've just said no when I asked you to come with me. I don't see you coming up with any ideas for a date. It's like, why did you even agree to date me when you obviously don't even like me?"

Seeing that Takao was genuinely hurt by his actions, Midorima resolved to fix the situation in a way he would've never bothered with before. "I shouldn't have said any of that. I apologize for having hurt you. Really, I'm- sorry."

Takao seemed to instantly snap out of his bad mood. "You're actually apologizing? I never thought that day was coming. I'll forgive you if we do the picture together. Otherwise I'll just have to pop down to Kyoto and see if Akashi's single."

"Please. You're not nearly big enough for him. He seems to go for 6'10" guys with purple hair. But yes, I will take the picture with you."

_Awesome. Kise owes me money._


	7. A Gentlemen's Coup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midorima pretends to date Akashi to appease his father.

_Why does the universe hate me so much?_ Shintaro Midorima thought, not for the first time. _I do my best and I have my Oha Asa lucky item on me, so why did I get forced into this?_

Akashi had forced him into spending Christmas together. He and Takao had been together the previous evening, and there was talk of meeting the next day for a movie, but all of that had evaporated when he had received that text.

Now he was stuck with one of his least favorite people, out of so many possible candidates, with no possible chance of ditching him.

"Shintaro. How many times have I told you to stay away from Ikebukuro? It only upsets you."

"I haven't been going to Ikebukuro. Anyway, why are you here? I had plans with Takao today."

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. But you aren't the only one who has to spend Christmas away from his beloved."

"Your father still doesn't like Murasakibara, then?"

"No. We were together last night, because I said I was going to Hokkaido for my birthday. Why did he have to send me to the farthest school away from Atsushi? I don't care that he's 'not fit for a man of my standing.' I'm sure he's still trying to arrange a marriage to a woman, but I won't go through with it. I'll leave Japan if I have to, and I'll take Murasakibara with me!"

To say that Midorima was alarmed at this would be an understatement. Most of all, did he just hear Akashi calling Murasakibara by his last name? It was like his original personality had come out again.

"Yes. I will have Atsushi, no matter what my father has to say about it. He approves of you, though, Shintaro. I told him we were together, and he was happy about it. When the time comes, I'll make something up about you having cheated on me, leaving me free to be with Atsushi. All I ask is that you come visit him once in a while. Are you okay with this?" He asked, leaving absolutely no room open for refusal.

_Just tell him you're single. Just tell him your true feelings. Akashi Masaomi is a terrifying man. There should be no need to drag me into this._ However, what came out of Midorima's mouth sounded too much like, "Okay, sure, why not" to be a flat-out rejection. The rejection had abandoned him somewhere in his throat, leaving that weak statement. "Sagittarius and Libra are compatible, so things will work out in the end."

"I'd heard that Kazunari had changed you. You never would have agreed to this before. I think those people were right."

Maybe it wasn't a true date, but spending Christmas with a friend wasn't a bad way to do things, either.


	8. Heavy Metal Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furihata doesn't understand Izuki's pun. However, other issues quickly become evident.

Kouki Furihata had been sitting on the floor in front of the fan when Izuki walked in.

"Hey, what's up, Furihata? How have things… _fanned_ out for you today?"

He only received a blank stare in response. "Fanned out? I don't get it."

"Well, normally you could say panned out, except you're next to a fan, so…" He decided to switch gears. "I think it's time for some _fanservice,_ though. What do you think?"

"There's nobody around to do fanservice for."

"I don't know about that, Fukuda seemed pretty interested earlier."

"What?" _How does he know about that?_

"Oh, nothing." _If he hasn't realized, I'm not going to tell him._

"Well, what about you and that guy from Kaijo? It seems like you're rushing to Yokohama about every day to go see him lately."

"It's nobody's fault that Moriyama is the only person I've met so far that loves some good wordplay as much as I do."

"Couldn't you just text? It must be pretty expensive, constantly traveling to another prefecture. Or he could come to Tokyo, too."

"He does on weekends. Kasamatsu said I wasn't allowed to come to practice anymore, so we do it like this instead."

_Either they're actually dating or they're totally in denial about it. I don't know which answer I prefer._ "It's nice that you've found someone who understands you." _Never thought that'd happen. Also, totally not a shock that Kasamatsu would bar you from practice. He seems pretty similar to Hyuga._

Just then, a ringtone was heard. "Oh, that's him right now." He read out loud, "ʽTie your shoes. I don't want you falling for anyone else.' Brilliant!" Furihata didn't think it was all that brilliant. He liked a more subtle approach, like when your friend on the bench with you asked you to study with him, and before you knew it you were always together, even before any confessions. _You know, you're really cute,_ he'd say as he leaned in. That'd be better than any witty pickup line, he thought.

It was obvious that the two of them had reached a standoff, each knowing that the other knew about their secret relationship, but being too polite to say anything. They also knew that if they exposed the other relationship, they ran the risk of being exposed as well.

"Good thing I have my sneakers. They're perfect for sneaking around."

_I kind of want to tell now, not that I will ever, but that pun was just so bad._


	9. It Gets Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Himuro feels like Murasakibara's mother. Murasakibara isn't helping.

Atsushi Murasakibara was still amazed at how much it snowed in Akita. Just the previous evening, there had been a blizzard, and it had already started snowing again this morning. There was one thing he did like about the snow, however.

"It looks like everything's covered in powdered sugar. It's making me hungry."

"We just ate, Atsushi. Lunch period hasn't even been over for ten minutes yet. Keep it together." Himuro didn't know how he'd been appointed as Murasakibara's babysitter, but he was going to find out so he could smack that person with all his might.

"Akachin would let me eat."

"Do I look anyting like Seijuro Akashi to you?"

"You are both high school aged young men who both play basketball. In addition, you both-"

_He's really picking now to act smart?_ "Quit being a smartass and answer the question."

"No, you really don't."

"That's what I thought."

Murasakibara decided to switch tactics. "Mamachin, I'm hungry."

That was certainly a first. "Who is Mamachin? I don't know who that is."

"You are, Mamachin."

Himuro had to admit, he really did feel like Murasakibara's mom sometimes, a lot more than he ever had with Kagami. Did two months really make that much difference, or was it the difference in upbringing? Himuro suspected the latter. With Murasakibara being the youngest of five siblings, it wouldn't be too surprising if he had been babied for most of his life.

"Alright. If you hurry, you could probably grab a snack from your room. Just promise that you will never call me that horrible name ever again."

"What name is that?"

"The one you just called me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." _We're seriously doing this now?_ He was definitely up to something.

"I mean…" Himuro couldn't believe what he was about to do. "Mamachin," he whispered.

"Oh, that. Sure." If he encouraged this kind of nonsense, Murasakibara would never grow up and start acting his age. He would have to eventually, but Himuro was not actually in charge of him, so he really didn't care when that was.


	10. Jump Into the Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoshi is unnerved by Hyuga's Sengoku collection, but he has a good idea for it.

Junpei Hyuga had been in the middle of coming up with plays when his mom informed him he had a visitor.

He wondered who it could be. If his mom had known who the visitor was, she would have said their name. Was it somebody from another school? He couldn't think of anyone that'd know that info who didn't go to Seirin. Maybe his dad had cut their hair? That made no sense, and he was pretty sure his dad's youngest client was about 50 years old.

As they came up the stairs, he knew there was only one person it could be.

"Hyuga? Is this your room?"

There was no way of getting out of it. His mom would have already told Kiyoshi that he was home, leaving him to be infuriated by one of his least favorite people in the world.

"First of all, how did you figure out where I live? I didn't tell you for a reason."

"I asked Izuki, in exchange for letting him do puns all day Wednesday."

"That explains that massive pun run the other day."

"More importantly though, what is all this weird stuff? What's with the helmet?"

At first, Hyuga's room had looked like a typical teenage boy's room, but the more Kiyoshi looked, the more unusual it became. Where did he find all this Sengoku era stuff? He'd probably made all the dioramas himself, but the broken warlord figures were really off-putting, even knowing the story behind them. Surely they'd be seen as downright creepy to someone who didn't know why they were broken.

"I made the helmet. I don't wear it, but it makes me feel like a warlord."

"Really? Then why does the tape have hair all over it?"

"Okay, fine, I do wear it. Sometimes when I'm coming up with plays, I'll put it on, and it makes me feel like a warlord coming up with battle strategies."

"I would seriously give you money to yell at the team while wearing that helmet during the training camp. All you have to do is name your price."

"Ten thousand."

"I could probably do five thousand, but you'd have to throw in a few ' _de gozaru_ 's in there."

"You have a deal."

When the training camp came along, nobody else knew why their captain had begun addressing them after practices while wearing a helmet and speaking like a guy from the Sengoku period. They suspected it had something to do with the money Kiyoshi was giving him afterwards, but nobody knew for sure.


	11. The Kids Aren't Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moriyama finds a hose, and the other members of Team Kaijo use this chance to question him.

As the members of Team Kaijo were taking a break from practice, Yoshitaka Moriyama made a discovery.

"Hey, I found a hose! Let's play with it!"

"I wish Kise were here today, maybe we could get him with it," Kasamatsu said.

Nakamura disagreed. "He'd probably say something about how he's 'dripping with good looks,' like he thinks he's a shojo manga love interest or something."

"True, that'd just make him more annoying," Kobori agreed.

"I wanna play with the hose!" Hayakawa yelled. "I love hoses! Woohoo!"

This gave the rest of Team Kaijo another idea.

"You're first, Hayakawa. Maybe then you'll learn how to communicate in a way other than yelling. Plus, since Kise isn't here today, you're the youngest. It'll be good for you."

"I didn't wa-AAAAH! It's so cold! Don't we have any warmer water?"

"The sinks out here only have cold water. It makes sense, though- they only get turned on during the summer, when you wouldn't want warm water, anyway. Besides, doesn't it feel good after practicing?"

"Yeah, it does! So who's next? I vote Moriyama!"

Moriyama didn't want to be next, so he said, "Actually, if we're going from youngest to oldest, Nakamura would be next- and he's leaving." Sure enough, he was making his way back to the gym, muttering under his breath about _I'm not dealing with this today_.

"Okay, now Moriyama actually is next. Unless he tells us why he keeps going to Tokyo all the time. Did you finally find someone who actually likes you? I must admit, I never thought I'd see the day. Or is it that guy from Seirin? You've been texting him a lot lately."

"Yeah, it's him. We just hang out together, and do absolutely nothing e- Hey! You said you weren't going to spray me if I told!"

Kasamatsu did a smirk worthy of an anime villain. "Did you seriously think that was going to be it? Make up some stupid crap about man dates and make it sound super suspicious, and you think that's it? Nice try, but that's not how I am."

Moriyama was about to retort when-

"Guys, you should probably come back inside, Coach is starting to get pissed."

_I'm safe for now, but I should probably come up with better stories._


	12. Love & Destroy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami & Kuroko are shopping when Kise interrupts them. They've had enough.

Kuroko and Kagami had just been finishing up in the checkout line at the shoe store when they ran into a person they never expected to see. They did their best to ignore this person, but his outgoing nature made it impossible.

"KUROKOCCHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-" Kise yelled at the top of his lungs, ready to jump on him. Kagami moved in front of him in order to prevent Kuroko's untimely death by glomping. As expected, Kagami was not pleased.

"HEY! Just what the hell do you think you're doing? Aren't you a big famous celebrity with tons of fans and paparazzi following you around? Besides, you know damn well Kuroko could've been hurt. For someone so in love, you don't seem to care about him at all."

"I'm-"

"And another thing!" He felt like he could've gone on for hours, but Kuroko cut him off.

"Kagami. Please calm down. You yourself have caused a scene." He looked around and saw everyone in the store staring at them.

"Sorry, but it pisses me off."

"I've got this, Kagami. Really, I do. Please let me handle it."

"Alright. I trust you."

After relocating to somewhere less public (Kagami added the store to his list of places he was banned from) Kuroko started in on him.

"I don't know how many times I've told you this, but I have zero romantic interest in you. This will not change, no matter how much you try. Do you think Kim Kardashian hits on other men while Kanye is on tour? Either be more dedicated or dump him. You can't have it both ways." Like everyone else Kise knew, Kuroko only knew about that family because of Kise's inexplicable obsession with them. He knew it was a stupid tactic, but he realized it might work, causing Kise to leave him alone once and for all.

"Oh my God, you're right! That is such a Kris thing to do, it's terrible! I can't be like that evil woman!"

"And here I was thinking it was about not betraying Ahomine. Not that I care if he's angry at Kise, but there are so many other targets. Like Takao. He should hit on Takao, and we'll laugh as Midorima destroys him. _This behavior is inappropriate, nanodayo. Gemini and Scorpio have terrible chemistry._ "

"Takao would go along with it, too. Those two would make Midorima's life hell."


	13. Middle Finger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nijimura tries to be a good upperclassman, but some people (cough Haizaki cough) don't want to listen.

Shuzo Nijimura knew there was a blizzard coming- the trains were about to stop running early, and it didn't help that his mom was blowing up his phone, telling him to hurry home.

Up ahead, he saw a silhouette he'd recognize anywhere. He would normally ignore this person, or discipline him if he was causing trouble, but when it was snowing this much, he couldn't ignore him.

"Hey, Haizaki! Get home! It's only going to get worse out here!"

Haizaki scoffed at this. "Like you care. You'd love it if I got sick and couldn't come to practice for a while. I wouldn't mind, either, if I could get a hot chick to be my nurse. Everything would be great if the guy you hated was gone."

"Is that what you think? You know, I was like you once. I thought the entire world was against me, that nobody cared what I was going through. But then my dad got sick, and guess what? It wasn't all about me anymore. I had to step up to my responsibilities, for my dad, my mom, and Shuji and Shiori. Haven't you had any experiences like that?" There was no answer. "Haizaki? I asked you a question; I expect an answer." He spotted Haizaki, trying to escape in a direction opposite of where his home was located. "Dammit, Haizaki, listen when other people are talking to you. You might actually learn something."

"No, nothing like that has ever happened to me. Mom has two kids by two different dads, and they're both in jail. She has two jobs to pay for me to go to this stupid school, even with the half scholarship I got. Even if something happened to her, my brother has a full ride at Tokyo University. He's smart, so who cares about me?" Haizaki actually looked like he cared about something for once, a major change from his "I don't give a fuck" attitude.

 _Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he cares more than he lets on. Have I been too harsh on him?_ After that, he heard laughter, and since there was nobody else on the street besides them, there was only one possible source.

"You were starting to feel sorry for me, weren't you? Sure, all that stuff is true, but who cares? I hate people feeling sorry for me."

"And once again, you've missed the point of everything I've said. There's more out there for you than ditching school and flirting with girls. If you'd get your head out of your ass for more than five seconds at a time, you might realize that. Unless you want to meet your dad in jail, that is." Nijimura's phone rang for the first time in a while. "Mom's probably gonna scream in my ear, wondering why I'm not home yet." _I'm probably going to regret even asking, but…_ "You want to come with? I'm sure mom will have enough soup for the entire team, so there'll be plenty for an extra person."

"I'd rather eat strawberries." After a blank stare, Haizaki clarified. "I'm allergic to strawberries."

_They say you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. I think I know what that phrase means now._


	14. Not Like the Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko and Ogiwara reunite after the Winter Cup.

Kuroko didn't know how to admit it, but he was nervous.

In all the excitement of winning the Winter Cup, there wasn't much he remembered. It was all a blur, from the moment the buzzer sounded to when Kagami brought him to bed and showed him the true meaning of 'trembling with excitement.'

However, there was one moment in all of that he remembered clearly.

He'd just been talking to Kawahara when he'd felt someone hugging him from behind. "Later, Kagami-kun," he'd said, only for Kawahara's shocked expression to tell him that he'd been wrong.

"Um, Kuroko, that's not Kagami. I actually don't know who this is. Also, gross."

Just then, Kuroko heard a laugh that he never thought he'd hear again. "Surprise!" It was Ogiwara, his childhood friend. After confirming that their phone numbers were still the same, they promised to hang out again, "just like old times! It'll be great!"

Which leads back to today. How do you talk to someone you haven't hung out with in five years?

Looking back, he wanted to hit himself. He really should've realized that Ogiwara would have done most of the talking from the beginning. Sitting in a booth at Maji Burger, it was like nothing had changed at all.

"…So, anyway, I ended up tagging along with my cousin on his volleyball training camp this summer, and I had fun, but it just wasn't the same. It only made me miss basketball, especially after they started bumping the ball into the net. It just made me sad."

He had so many questions. _How can you not despise me after that? How can you be that big of a person?_ Ogiwara somehow saw the questions on his face.

"I knew when it was time to forgive. It was around the time you beat Touou when I heard what you and that guy were doing. Somehow I knew it was for me, and that was when I forgave you. I figure, since apparently the Generation of Miracles are learning to play as a team, I'll be able to forgive them someday too. I've joined my school's basketball club for next year, so you better get ready for me!"

"Yes. We still haven't had our game like we wanted."

"I really want to go against that boyfriend of yours. He looks really strong! I'd almost forgotten what that felt like, to want to face off against someone else. It really is a good feeling."

"You should come to Seirin and meet everybody. I'm sure they want to meet you, too. We could probably play some, too. I'll make sure that Kagami and I are on the other team. We'll have fun."

"I want that, too."


	15. Ours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murasakibara and Akashi go on vacation. Murasakibara doesn't want to ski.

Atsushi Murasakibara and Seijuro Akashi were thankful that Valentine's Day was on a weekend the year they got back together. As a result, they were able to meet somewhere that nobody they knew would be.

The halfway point between Kyoto and Akita was located in Niigata prefecture, in a town called Itoigawa. There wasn't much in that particular town, but the surrounding area was known for its skiing resorts and hot springs, so it wouldn't be the middle of nowhere like Akashi had feared.

The only problem was getting his boyfriend to actually join him on the slopes. He knew going in that it wouldn't be easy going in, but he never imagined just how difficult it would be.

"Get up, Atsushi. You said you'd go skiing with me."

"Don't wanna. I wanna lay in bed with the candy you got me. You could stay, too. I'll share."

"Atsushi. Don't you think it'll be suspicious if my father asks how my ski trip went, and I'll have to tell him that I spent the whole trip in bed?"

"Lie. Say you were the ski master. Say you stayed in the hot spring longer than anyone else."

"I can't lie to my father. Nobody can lie to him." Akashi thought for a moment. "I tell you what. If you don't come skiing with me, I will be too tired to do anything tonight. I'll come back from the hot spring and go straight to sleep."

"What happens if they don't have skis big enough for me? There's a good chance they don't."

"It won't happen. I bought some imported from America, so we don't need to worry about that. We'll go ski for a while, get something to eat, go into the hot spring, and after that, you can do whatever you want to me."

"Atsushi, you need to leave the hotel room. The maids won't be able to clean around you, and I'm sure the sight of a seven foot tall man with purple hair catatonic in the bed will terrify them. I'm not sure I brought enough cash for the kind of tip that would be required after that."

"I'll want cake for dinner after skiing."

Akashi sighed. "If you have at least a bite of my vegetables, I'll allow it."

"You're really overestimating your own value here. I'll do it if you let me touch you in the hot spring."

"Nobody we know is going to be here. I think they have private areas, so as long as we're quiet, we should be fine. We have a deal."

"As long as you're quiet, we'll be fine. I think that's what you meant to say."

"You're lucky that I like rebelling against my father."

Murasakibara knew that wasn't true. Akashi wouldn't have gotten him the most expensive Swiss chocolate he could find if he didn't really love him.


	16. Pit of Vipers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midorima and Kise trash talking. That is all.

Ryota Kise was never not shocked to see Shintaro Midorima outside of school, especially somewhere as normal as the arcade. He always kind of assumed that Midorima lived in some kind of coffin in the school basement from the time basketball practice ended to the next morning. Maybe once in a while he'd leave school grounds to hang out so he wouldn't seem suspicious, or to go to a fortune teller or something.

So what was he doing here? Was he lost?

He needed to find out.

"Midorimacchi! What are you doing here?" It was clear that Midorima was trying to avoid him, but Kise wouldn't leave it like that. "I didn't even know you liked video games. You always leave when the rest of us come here."

"I don't like them. It's just that my lucky item today is something monkey themed, and my sister told me they had a sock monkey as a prize for winning the shooting game. But I have it now, so there is no need to stay any longer. Good day."

"Come on, Midorimacchi. Don't be like that. I want to play this racing game, but I need a second player. Please?" Normally, Midorima would already be gone, but for some reason he felt sympathetic today.

"Alright, I'll play one game. After that, I need to meet up with Takao for a project we're doing."

"Is that project called 'Make Out With Takao?'"

"I'm surprised you were even able to find this place without someone helping you. However, I'm even more surprised that you aren't with your precious Aominecchi, since you two seem to always be joined at either the lips or the hips. Which one it is is no concern of mine. In addition, Takao and I have an actual school project for English, but I'm sure that the concept of homework is entirely foreign to you, so I won't go into detail."

The sheer amount of vitriol that had gone into that line was enough to make Kise's head spin. After about a minute of stammering, Kise finally managed to come back with, "You're just jealous that you and Takao have never been joined at the hips."

"Making sure that I have a successful career in the future is far more important to me than having sex. Takao understands that." _For about fifteen seconds. Doesn't mean he'll stop pestering me for it._

"I already have a successful career and a sex life."

"Oh, please. Parading around in front of a camera like that is not a career. It barely counts as work."

"You take that back! Modeling is work! It's hard work!"

_We'll have an interesting competition after all, Midorimacchi._

_This is such a waste of time._


	17. 8Bit Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami, Kuroko and Himuro are on a picnic, which Aomine finds. Naturally, there is a fight.

Tetsuya Kuroko, Taiga Kagami and Tatsuya Himuro had been enjoying their picnic in the park when an unwelcome presence interrupted them.

"What do you guys think you're doing, eating in the park like old people? Tetsu doesn't want somebody who takes him on old man dates. Huh? Who's this guy with them? Oh well, probably not important."

"First of all, I do not know how you got the idea that picnics are only for the elderly. Second, I do not remember giving you permission to decide who I date. This is Himuro Tatsuya. He and Kagami knew each other growing up in LA."

"Are you that guy from Yosen? The one that punched Murasakibara?"

Himuro sighed, but managed to remain cheerful. "Yes, that's me. And you are Aomine Daiki, the one with the massive ego that Taiga warned me about."

Aomine ignored the jab, in order to focus on the object in Kagami's hand. "Oh, that reminds me, I'm pretty hungry. Give me that burger." He reached for it, only to have it snatched away.

"What the hell? Get your own damn food! We bought this for the three of us, not for you."

"Why can't I have just one? Tetsu's probably not gonna eat any, and you eat too much as it is. I don't know about this other guy, but he doesn't look like he eats much, either. I don't see what the big deal is."

"Like it's ever that simple with you. Sure, at first it'll be just one, but before we know it, you'll have eaten half the box. I really feel for your teammates, having to deal with you mooching off them all the time. That small one with the big eyes looks extra vulnerable."

"Who, Ryo? Yeah, he's a great cook, but Wakamatsu gets super angry when I take his food. He's so annoying that it's not even worth it."

 _I think I'd like this Wakamatsu guy._ "That center guy? Oh, it's so horrible that he wants you to respect other people's property. No wonder that kid was so skinny, if you're always stealing his lunches."

"Why do you have to always make it sound like I'm the bad guy?"

"You usually are the bad guy, Aomine."

"You too, Tetsu? We're really doing this? Alright, I'll go… if you give me a burger."

"Fine. Take it and go."

Kuroko waited until Aomine was out of earshot before he spoke again.

"You do realize you just played into Aomine's hands, right?"

"Don't care. It was worth it."


	18. Right Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayama, Mibuchi and Nebuya are waiters for the school festival.

It was the day of the school festival. Rakuzan High School's three Uncrowned Kings had been forced into working for their class café. Reo Mibuchi was working in the kitchen, while Kotaro Hayama and Eikichi Nebuya were waiters. Aside from them, there was another girl in the kitchen and two waitresses. Given their café was being ran by the top girls from the volleyball, gymnastics and tennis clubs, as well as three Uncrowned Kings, it was no surprise that they were very popular.

Earlier, there had been a Q&A session where the girls had been asked questions. It had been cancelled after some perverts wanted to know the girls' bra sizes and things like that, and it had been decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to continue the questions with the boys answering.

It was going rather well until, "Nebuya, what is your most embarrassing moment?"

Nebuya had been about to pass when Hayama piped up. "I know this one! Remember, you were asked the same question at one of Akashi's parties? It was on our first day at Rakuzan, and you thought Reo was a-"

"Hayama, please don't talk about this in front of everyone."

"Thought I was a what? Come on, I want to know."

"He thought you were a girl!"

"How does that work? Didn't you ever read anything about the Uncrowned Kings? Wouldn't you have recognized me from that?"

"…I skimmed it. I really only read stuff about Kiyoshi. I didn't read about anyone else."

"He thought you were a hot girl, and he was gonna try and ask you out until he heard your voice and realized you were a guy."

"Why haven't I heard about this until now?"

"You were in the bathroom. Anyway, Hayama's most embarrassing moment was when that pineapple guy from Shuutoku thought his waifu sucked. Or was it when he was at the park and those five year olds thought he sucked at skateboarding? Or when he got beat up for having a Flamengers t-shirt? I don't even know, he has a different answer every time."

"Well, one time my autocorrect told my mom I was having sex with the team that time we went for steak. Sei's punishment games are really harsh, aren't they?"

"They sure are, Reo!" The girls in the audience thought they looked like a mother and her child, and they cheered at the adorable interaction.

"Does that make Nebuya the father, then?" If Reo had been drinking water at that moment, it would have been spat out everywhere.

"Absolutely not! I would never have a child with someone so disgusting!"


	19. Stand on the Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furihata's family goes on vacation to Kyoto. Somehow, it ends up going even worse than he'd planned.

Kouki Furihata had been enjoying his family vacation to Kyoto. He’d enjoyed spending time with his older brother, something he hadn’t been able to do too often since his brother had started college. They’d all enjoyed seeing the historic sites in Kyoto, and while Furihata hadn’t enjoyed the crowds, he knew it was worth it to see such beautiful sights.

However, there was one thing he clearly hadn’t expected to see on his trip to Kyoto. He knew that Rakuzan was located here, but he hadn’t expected to see any of the players that he’d played against in the Winter Cup final.

So, when Seijuro Akashi himself walked up to him and asked if he knew him from somewhere, Furihata launched into panic mode.

“Kouki, do you know this boy?” his mother asked. Before he could answer, another voice was doing it for him.

“Yes. I am Akashi Seijuro, my team and I played against Seirin in the Winter Cup final.” Furihata had heard that Akashi was of a high-class background, but this was the first time he had actually believed it, only having seen the side of him that his teammates had labeled as “evil,” “psychotic,” and, as Kagami had eloquently put it, “batshit insane.” Although, given Kagami’s treatment at Akashi’s hands, he couldn’t really be blamed for that one. Furihata still had nightmares about that time, and it hadn’t even happened to him.

“Kouki, is this true?” He could only nod.

“You must be getting tired of spending time with us. If you want to spend time with someone your own age, you can do that, as long as you’re back to the hotel by 10.” _Thanks, dad,_ Furihata thought, with an unusual bitterness. _Isn’t it obvious that I’m terrified of this guy? Do I need to start clinging to you like a kid? You guys are totally charmed, but if you’d seen what I have, we’d already be on our way back to Tokyo._

Furihata knew he needed to find a way out of this, and fast. “Weren’t we going to the botanical garden after this?”

“Yes, but you’ve looked so bored during the sightseeing, I didn’t think you were really interested.”

“No, I was! I’ve just been so tired, after having to listen to dad’s snoring all night. I’m interested, I promise!” _Please don’t leave me,_ he begged with his eyes.

Luckily, Furihata’s brother was able to save the situation.

“We already have a reservation for it, too. And the tour we wanted starts in 20 minutes, doesn’t it? We really need to get going!”

“But they don’t take-”

“Kouki and I will go without you!” his brother yelled. "So you better hurry up!"


	20. This is Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko and Mayuzumi meet by chance at a bookstore. It doesn't go too well.

Tetsuya Kuroko was a non-confrontational person by nature, but there was an exception to every rule.

"I have found a second rate shadow on my trip to Daikanyama T-Site. How fascinating."

Everyone he had ever known would be shocked if they knew he had gotten into a fight at a bookstore with Chihiro Mayuzumi, his "evil counterpart," as Kagami had put it.

"What are you even doing in Tokyo? Are there no more light novels left in Kyoto? Or have you just gotten sick of the Haruhi Suzumiya series after your twentieth time reading it?"

Was this what Aomine had felt when he'd first heard about his new partnership with Kagami? The feeling of being replaced with a half-assed caricature of you? (Not that Kuroko thought that, but he knew Aomine did, at least at first.) If it was, then he owed Aomine a big apology, even if it ended up further inflating his already oversized ego.

"I think you are mistaken. A Clockwork Apple and Honey and Little Sister is a far superior series, featuring an android transfer student. They are not similar."

"All of those series have some happy-go-lucky girl taking some boring guy on an uninspired adventure. Personally, to this day, I still have not found anything that beats Harry Potter for me. I don't know how long I can wait for The Cursed Child to be translated."

"Harry Potter? Seriously? It seems fitting that the second rate shadow would enjoy a second rate series, fit only to line a birdcage."

_Yes. Aomine is getting an apology._

"I also enjoy books about Ancient China, as well as the stories about Sinbad. Do you also enjoy things like that?"

"I like volleyball, baseball, and fishing."

"It seems we both enjoy a mix of Japanese and Western things."

"Stop. I hate being compared to you. I did not enjoy spending time with any of my teammates, but the one you went to middle school with was the worst. He has hundreds of videos of you playing, and he made me watch all of them. He has even slipped up and called me Tetsuya a few times, despite the obvious physical differences. There were even times when I thought it was not a mistake at all. When the situation is like this, it would be stranger for me not to hate you."

_That is a fair point. Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought. I know that if the situation had been reversed, I wouldn't be happy about it._

"Your shadow is too bright."

_Aomine is still getting that apology._


	21. Unconditionally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuki and Koganei get into a pun battle. Nobody wins.

"Are you okay? I'm feline fine. What did you think of that, Mitobe?"

To say that Shun Izuki was shocked was an understatement. All this time with Mitobe and Koganei, and he was just now learning that they were also versed in the fine art of pun-making? Granted, Koganei had always looked annoyed whenever Izuki made puns, and he was never quite sure if Mitobe was even listening to him, but still!

"I _gato_ the jokes? You _kot_ me there. You have meow."

 _Ugh, never mind._ Koganei wasn't taking this seriously enough for Izuki's taste.

"Kitten kore."

 _That does it._ "What exactly do you think you're doing, Koganei? You are ruining the fine art of pun making."

"No more than you do on a daily basis."

"That was cold."

"Cats aren't exactly known for being friendly."

"I'm more of a dog person, anyway. I don't mind mine always hounding me."

"Anyone who likes dogs over cats is barking mad."

"You've got to be kitten me. Dogs are far superior to those stupid cats."

"Is there a reason you called us? Mitobe and I have to go to work now."

"Work? Where could Mitobe possibly work?"

"We work at Pizza Man. He works in the kitchen, and I work at the counter. I've had to do deliveries, too. One of the old ladies I've delivered to a few times tried to adopt me. Then there was the time this businesswoman picked up some pizzas for her coworkers and tried to flirt with Mitobe."

"How awkward was it?"

"She thought I was making excuses when I said that he was mute. That, and she didn't believe me when I said he was seventeen."

"That must have been hard."

"Yeah, but my manager was able to take care of her. He said that she'd probably been drinking, so that must have had something to do with it, too."

"So, she wanted a pizza Mitobe, huh?"

"Goodbye."


	22. XO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyuga and Riko decide to tell Kiyoshi about their relationship. It doesn't go as planned.

It was one thing to know that you needed to do something, but another thing entirely to actually do it.

That was how Riko Aida and Junpei Hyuga felt as they met up with Teppei Kiyoshi. They knew he was going to Los Angeles with Alex at the end of the month, and they were quickly running out of time to tell him. Things like that just couldn't be shared over the phone or the internet.

Where had all the boldness of yesterday even come from? And wherever it was, could it please come back? Normally, neither of them got anxious around other people, but Kiyoshi was Riko's ex. Who knew how he would react? Now that the season was over, it'd be pretty easy for him to avoid them until he left. _Come to think of it, wasn't it a really stupid idea to do this kind of thing in a café? What if he made a scene?_ Riko thought.

"So, what did you guys want to talk about?" Typical Kiyoshi, asking about something so crucial with his usual smile on his face, like he was asking about the underclassmen. _Gotta keep it cool,_ Hyuga thought. _I'll feel extra guilty about sneaking around with her if I end up going off on him, too._

"What do you mean? Who said we wanted to talk about anything with you, dumbass? Why would I want to talk about anything with Iron Heart?"

Riko sighed. "Hyuga, stop with the clutch time. You aren't helping, plus you're the one who invited him out. Sorry, Teppei. I guess this idiot has a lot on his mind."

"You mean, like how you guys are dating and haven't told me yet?"

"Yeah, that's exactly- how the fuck. I thought only Kagami knew! Just- how?"

"I've known that you liked her for ages. Didn't she ever tell you that we broke up because she decided she liked you more than me? Yeah, it sucked for a while, and there are times when I still feel that way about her, but if she's happy, I won't complain."

"No, she never told me that." Anything else Hyuga might've said had been interrupted by a sob coming from Riko's direction.

"You guys are way too good for me. I still struggle with it too, sometimes. But ultimately, I am happy with where we are now. Who knows, maybe Teppei will find his own girlfriend in America."

"I'm not quite ready for that." He laughed, but then stopped just as suddenly. "Wait. How does Kagami know about this?"

Riko and Hyuga were both (uncharacteristically) blushing. "Well, um… We kissed in the locker room after practice one day, and he walked in on us. For some reason, it seemed like he was more embarrassed than we were."

"Well, I'm just glad you guys are happy. I'm glad we were able to talk this out."


	23. Where Did the Party Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayuzumi is questioned by Akashi, which leads to Mayuzumi questioning Akashi.

Chihiro Mayuzumi was reading on the rooftop like usual when an unexpected shadow appeared over him.

"What do you want, Akashi?"

"You weren't at the team building exercise on Saturday. What is so important that you couldn't make it, Chihiro?"

"I was in Tokyo. I didn't think anyone would notice if I skipped."

"Well, we all did. I don't think Eikichi really cared, but Kotaro in particular was looking forward to it."

"I don't really care about what he wants. I ended up seeing someone interesting, anyway."

"Oh, really?" Akashi was waiting for Mayuzumi to share on his own, so naturally he made no move to do so. He decided it was a good feeling, making Akashi wait.

"I grow impatient, Chihiro." _That's the only kind of growing you've been doing._ "Are you asking me to guess who you saw? Is this a game for you?" _A little bit. I'm definitely not losing._

"You used to go to school with him." He made no attempt to hide the amusement he felt, even though it would barely register to someone unfamiliar with him.

"You saw Tetsuya. Shintaro and Daiki would not be worth a mention to you, and it obviously can't be Ryota or Atsushi."

"That's right, it wasn't that zodiac guy, fake tan, glitter, or your overgrown boy toy." He could tell that Akashi was surprised, but was hiding it underneath his usual persona. "You seriously think I didn't know? You're almost always texting him, and I know you were with him on Valentine's Day weekend. You were a lot less annoying after that, for about 10 minutes. Guess he fucked all of the psycho out of you."

"That is no way to address your captain."

"You're not my captain. I didn't vote for you."

"You don't vote for captains."

"Is candy your light? Is that what he called it? Is that some kind of Teiko word for fuckbuddy?"

"No, he isn't. Anyway, I don't think I've ever heard that before."

"Seriously? How would you not have heard that? He never stops talking about being the shadow of that red power forward."

"Tetsuya is not dating that guy." It sounded forced, like he was trying as hard as he could to deny it.

The next morning, Akashi had already left for Tokyo.


	24. You And I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi doesn't like that Kagami and Kuroko are dating. Luckily, Kuroko has his own solution for that.

**From: Seijuro Akashi**

**I need to speak with you on an urgent matter. Meet me in front of the Winter Cup stadium at 10 am. Bring Taiga.**

**To: Seijuro Akashi**

**You know we have school, right? You're in Tokyo? I don't know where to start. And what does Kagami have to do with this?**

Even so, Kuroko knew that when Akashi told him to do something, only bad things would come if he did not obey. Kuroko found himself skipping school for the first (and hopefully last) time ever, Kagami in tow, headed toward the Winter Cup stadium.

"Is it true?"

Kagami and Kuroko had no clue how to respond to such a random outburst, so Kuroko had to awkwardly ask, "Is what true, Akashi?"

"Chihiro said that you and he met in Tokyo, and that you two were dating. Is it true?"

"Um, yes? We haven't exactly been hiding it. Anyway, why do you care?"

"We promised we wouldn't date until after high school."

"Nobody promised that. If we had, literally everyone, including yourself, would have broken it. Even Midorima is dating."

"He has my permission."

" _Excuse me?_ Why do I need your permission? Anyway, Aomine and Kise are dating, too," Kagami added, in the hopes that Aomine would be punished.

"I would hope so. Those two are a special case, they've been very close to that line since the day they met."

"Anyway, aren't you and Murasakibara dating? Why don't the rules apply to you too?"

"How does everyone know about that? But to answer your question, since I always win, I'm always right."

"Well, you didn't win this time."

"You need to ask your captain for permission to date."

Kuroko then did something nobody could have ever foreseen. He took out his phone, held down the home button until it beeped and said, "Siri, call Nijimura Shuuzou."

Nijimura didn't mind the phone call while he was watching his siblings, even if he had no idea why he was calling in the first place. More importantly, he had gotten Nijimura's confused approval. ("Go ahead. Why should I care?") If Hyuga were available, he'd have asked him too.


	25. End of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Generation of Miracles' current teammates are long-suffering. Kuroko is still amazed at how far they've all come.

Of all the things Yukio Kasamatsu expected to see on his way into the locker room, Moriyama doing his best Kise impression in front of the mirror was not one of them.

"I can't come to practice, I have to go to a shoot, ssu! And then I have a date with Aominecchi, but I'll be back tomorrow with tons of hickeys! And I have to tell everyone how I got them, even though nobody cares! But I still get all the girls, even though I'm dating a guy!" He noticed the laughter at this point, and quickly distanced himself from the mirror. "What are you doing here, Kasamatsu?"

"Coach wanted me to help him with some stuff. You should have kept going with the impression. It was funny. But… aren't you dating a guy, too?"

"Um…" Moriyama's face turned bright red at this point, and he was unable to look at Kasamatsu directly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, I have to go, bye!" He tried to leave the locker room, but it was foiled when Koji Kobori happened to come in right at that moment, allowing Kasamatsu to catch him. "Really, you too, Kobori?"

"Kobori's not in on this. Anyway, I already know you have a thing with Shun Izuki, so don't even bother hiding it. I read somewhere that girls like bi guys, but I'm sure that still won't help you."

"It is pretty obvious."

"Anyway, you should do your Kise impression for Kobori. He'll love it!" Nakamura walked in at that moment.

"What's going on?"

"Hey, Nakamura. Apparently Moriyama has a Kise impression. Want to hear it?"

"Of course I do!"

Moriyama had no choice but to go along with it.

* * *

Kensuke Fukui was eating a Maiubo when an idea came into his head.

"Hey guys, watch this." He put on the most bored expression he could manage and said, "I'll crush you," before eating the rest of the Maiubo in one bite.

"It really is just like him," Himuro said, laughing. _Given the amount of time Murasakibara follows him around, he would know how he acts._

"I don't want to practice. Where's my candy? Murochin? It should be naptime right now, Murochin."

"'Tis an accurate depiction of him," Liu added. "I will crusheth thou. 'Tis timeth to eateth mine marchpane. Anon I shall goeth on vacation with mine secret boyfriend that ev'ryone knows about."

"That was supposed to be a secret?" Okamura added.

"I think so. I tried to ask Atsushi where he went that weekend, and he mentioned something about visiting his parents. And unless his family has a cat, that doesn't explain the scratches down his back on Monday. I wouldn't be surprised if the Emperor was covered in bruises. But on the bright side, if they try to have sex after the practice match, Coach will never let him hear the end of it if she catches them."

"It still sucks that he gets more action than me." Okamura looked sad, but it wasn't yet to the point where he was crying.

"Don't worry. We could always go to the zoo and find you a date." At that moment, Fukui put on the face of a concerned friend, but Okamura wasn't buying it.

"We'd really go hitting on girls at the zoo? It's usually just moms there with their kids."

"I know. We're looking inside the cages."

Okay, now Okamura was crying.

* * *

"Did I ever show you the video I shot on my phone the other day?" Shoichi Imayoshi asked to the rest of the team, minus Aomine.

"I'm sorry, Imayoshi, but please don't show them that video! I think I'd die if anyone else saw it!"

"It'll be fine, Sakurai. I told you, Aomine will never see it."

Sakurai still looked unsure, but he gave his consent regardless.

The video was of the two of them, saying Aomine's catchphrase with various pronouns. As usual, Sakurai looked like he was about to start crying throughout the whole thing, but he still went along with it. Susa laughed, but Wakamatsu had a very different reaction to the whole thing.

_Sakurai looks really cute. He's cute when he cries, but his smile is cutest of all. What the hell am I thinking? What's wrong with me? Am I getting sick? I should probably go to bed early tonight._

"What did you think, Wakamatsu?"

_He definitely noticed that I spaced out. Of course he did, this is Imayoshi, after all. I'll just say it-_

"How was it, Wakamatsu?" He could deal with Imayoshi, but once it was Sakurai asking the question, Wakamatsu could feel his brain shutting down.

"I love y-the video. It was pretty funny."

_Calm down, Kousuke. You'll have time to figure out this sudden attraction to Sakurai later, but for now, you need to act normally._

Later, once practice was over, Wakamatsu hurried out of the locker room, failing to notice Sakurai looking as sad as he usually did, but for a completely different reason.

_He almost said it. I guess I'll have to find a way to get it out of him. I can use the tricks Takao showed me._

* * *

Kazunari Takao pulled a pair of fake glasses out of his pocket. Nobody else knew why he had them, but knowing his playful personality, they could make some guesses.

Their suspicions were confirmed when he put the glasses on and said, in an unusually low tone of voice, "Cancer is number one in luck today, nanodayo." He laughed in his usual tone before adding, "Momoi and Kise did a good job picking these frames. The three of us and Sakurai all went shopping together."

Kiyoshi Miyaji, who was standing nearby, laughed. "Wow, you nerd. Say, do you still have that video?"

"I sure do!" He quickly went to the video menu on his phone and played the video in question.

"I will draw them to me, and pass."

"How does that never get old? I haven't watched it in a while, but I still remember everything."

"That was from the game against Seirin, right? Didn't you also take his glasses off him and do his 'Whether it takes a hundred thousand or a hundred million shots' line?"

"Yeah, that was that game."

"I even saw the coach laugh when you did that. Well, we all were, but I think he laughed the most. You could probably be a comedian when you get older."

"Nah. It's always the guys like me who end up as authority figures when they get older. Shin-chan seems to think I'll make a good teacher. Coaching might be kind of fun, too."

"Really? You want to deal with kids like you?"

"I like kids. And the shock they'll feel when they realize that I was just like them when I was their age will be hilarious."

* * *

"I am absolute."

"Did you say something, Mayuzumi?" Reo asked. Mayuzumi had no idea why he was there, but he wasn't about to ask, feeling Reo would take it as an invitation to stay.

"No."

"That's what I thought. Anyway, since you didn't show up to Akashi's team building exercise, we're going to ask you again: what is your most embarrassing moment?"

"You don't have embarrassing moments when nobody ever notices you."

"I don't think that's quite true. Akashi's stopped you from leaving practice early a few times. He obviously does see you."

"I think there is one. Akashi caught me calling him 'Tiny' to his face."

"That doesn't count! It has to be unintentional. Like when my autocorrect told my mom I was going on a date with the team when we were going to a game."

"But aren't you g-"

"It doesn't matter! You think any of you guys are anything special? The soccer team, though… nice. Anyway, I'm sure Akashi has seen you do something embarrassing."

"…He caught me saying 'I am absolute.'"

"Seriously?" Reo was almost crying with how hard he was laughing. "How did that turn out for you?"

"That was on the day I spent the whole practice running laps."

"Oh, so that was why that happened. I was wondering about that." When Mayuzumi didn't respond, he tried another topic. "Akashi's been really down since he got back from Tokyo, hasn't he?"

"He might be. I try not to pay attention to him. He's pissed cause I knew about his secret boyfriend. I have to wonder if he's as demanding in bed as he is on the court. Or maybe he gets really submissive. I'm sure you've thought about it a lot more than I have."

"How crude. I don't want to talk about this," Reo said as he left.

As soon as Reo was out of sight, Mayuzumi pulled out his book and resumed reading.

"Mission accomplished."

* * *

"I was here the whole time," Hyuga deadpanned. "That was really weird when Kuroko texted me the other day, asking me for permission to date Kagami. I didn't even know they were… Later, he explained that Akashi said he had to ask his captain for permission to date Kagami, and how he obviously meant Akashi, but he called his old middle school captain because I was in school. I couldn't have come up with anything better myself. I'm so proud of him."

"You sound like a dad," Koganei pointed out. "Who's mother then? Coach?"

"O-Of course not!" Hyuga sputtered. "Anyway, you and Mitobe are far more like parents than I am!"

"Way to dodge the question. Why does it matter who the parents of the team are?" Tsuchida asked.

"Oh, I know this one! It's because none of our parents are ever shown, except the really screwed up ones like Akashi's dad. Sure, the author of this story made up some family characters, but she couldn't have for everyone- Mitobe just told me to stop talking, because I'm breaking the fourth wall. Silly Mitobe! I'm not breaking any walls!"

"Come on, Koga, you're not Deadpool. Shut up."

But before Koganei could react to Hyuga, he suddenly turned to Mitobe, looking scandalized. "Mitobe! That was dirty!"

None of the other Seirin second years knew how to respond to this.

* * *

As Kagami and Kuroko were headed to work one Thursday morning, Kagami saw Kuroko peeking at the scrapbook page he'd made in high school of all of their friends.

He fondly watched the scene for a moment before feeling the need to prod him along. "Come on, Tetsuya. We're going to be late. What will the kids say if their teacher is late?"

"It's still so amazing to see how far we've all come. Kise's studying for his pilot license, Murasakibara's in Paris working under a top chef, Momoi has her own business, Aomine's in the police academy, and Midorima's finishing med school. I think Akashi's traveling, but he seems to particularly like France. Turns out he was doing some of his own business on the side, so he was okay even after his dad cut him off."

"And we're still together after eight years. You have your teaching license and I'm a firefighter. It's hard, but I'm glad we're here. I don't think there's anywhere else I'd rather be."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that sounded like a proposal, Taiga."

"Oh, whatever! You've said some damn sappy things too! Especially during basketball. I'm still surprised we managed to keep our relationship a secret for as long as we did."

"Is that old temper coming back, Taiga? Anyway, you're right. There's nowhere else I'd rather be, either."


End file.
